Inkjet printers use pens which shoot drops of ink onto a page. Each pen has a printhead formed with very small nozzles through which the ink drops are fired. To print an image, the printhead moves back and forth across the page shooting drops as it moves. Inkjet printing mechanisms may be included in a variety of different devices, such as inkjet printers, plotters, scanners, facsimile machines, or other devices, all of which are referred to collectively herein as "inkjet printers." The print medium is typically a sheet material, such as paper, mylar, foils, transparencies, card stock, etc., but for convenience the term "paper" is used herein for purposes of illustration.
During the life of an inkjet printing mechanism, various components of the mechanism become dirty, or require some type of recharging, replenishing or resurfacing to return the printer to optimum levels of performance comparable to its performance when new. Other types of devices have used cleaner cartridges for periodic servicing or maintenance. For example, video recorders and audio tape recorders use head cleaner cartridges, which are inserted into the recorder in the location normally occupied by the tape cassette. These recorder cleaner cartridges have been used in combination with a pad and solvent for physically wiping the recording heads, and in other versions to demagnetize the printheads. These audio and video recorder cleaner cartridges are widely accepted and appreciated by consumers. The inventor is unaware of anyone attempting to address long-term consumer cleaning and maintenance of an inkjet printing mechanism using a cleaner cartridge approach.
Thus, a need exists for a cleaner cartridge for use with an inkjet printing mechanism to optimize print quality and extend the life of the printing mechanism.